'Why Pakatan must convene Perak sitting'
Earlier this month, ousted Perak speaker V Sivakumar issued a notice for a state assembly sitting on Oct 28 (tomorrow) - the same date that Barisan Nasional-appointed speaker R Ganesan picked for the tabling of the state budget.
The situation, though bizarre, is necessary for Pakatan, according to its ousted menteri besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin.
He said a boycott by Pakatan may cost its state representatives their seats.
"Under the Perak constitution, if you don't present yourself at two consecutive sittings, your seat is declared vacant and thus there will be a by-election," Nizar told Malaysiakini.
"To fulfil the constitution, we have to attend, but it must be consistent with our stand - that Sivakumar is the rightful speaker and not Ganesan."
Sivakumar had issued the notice - his fourth this year - on Oct 14, soon after Ganesan had done so.
That meeting ended in chaos, with Ganesan's ‘election' as speaker and the forceful removal of Sivakumar from the speaker's chair by plainclothes police.
Another fight over chair?
In line with Pakatan's position that Sivakumar is the rightful speaker, Nizar said the public can expect its state representatives to request Ganesan to leave the House.
"Ganesan is not even a member of the state assembly. We will ask for the rightful speaker (Sivakumar) to be allowed to take the speaker's chair," he said.
Stressing that Pakatan is holding this position in order to be "responsible" to its constituents, he warned that there may be complications if Ganesan resists.
Nizar also claimed to have received information that Ganesan has sacked the sergeant-at-arms and replaced him with 15 ‘thugs'.
"On May 7, they did the unthinkable by removing Sivakumar. On Oct 28, we expect them to go much further," added Nizar.
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